bimodal distribution

a set of scores with two peaks or modes around which values tend to cluster, such that the frequencies at first increase and then decrease around each peak. For example, when graphing the heights of a sample of adolescents, one would obtain a bimodal distribution if most people were either 5’7” or 5’9” tall. See also multimodal distribution; unimodal distribution.

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Psychology term of the day

December 26th 2024

law of initial values

the principle that the initial level of a physiological response is a major determinant of a later response in that system. Thus, if an individual’s pulse rate is high, his or her cardiovascular response to an emotion-provoking stimulus will be weaker than if the initial pulse rate had been low. Also called initial value dependency; initial values law; rate dependence effect. See rate dependency. [proposed in 1931 by U.S. neuropsychiatrist Joseph Wilder (1895–1976)]